At this point in the year, many people have landed somewhere between winding down their New Year’s resolutions and swimsuit season, so naturally, looking to lighter, healthier meals makes a lot of sense. A truly great salad surely fits the bill, providing enough nutrition to fuel your day without weighing you down, which is especially important as we approach months of intense Texas heat.
Entrée salads may be among the most versatile items on any menu. They’re easy to make vegan or vegetarian. Add grilled chicken, salmon, or steak, and they become a heartier, protein-packed option.
Read on for some best bets (and a few best beets) at restaurants across DFW where creative, colorful salads give vegetables their moment in the sun, either as a vitamin-packed starter or main event.
Saint Ann
Settle in on the lush garden patio of Saint Ann, an idyllic setting for enjoying a meal that also features beautiful plants. The restaurant, housed in a former parochial school, has one of the best Asian chopped chicken salads in town, made with hoisin chicken, napa cabbage, cashews, sesame, wontons, and carrots. Best of all, it should serve as adequate inspiration to visit the Samurai Collection upstairs, another truly unique Dallas experience. 2501 N. Harwood St., Dallas, saintanndallas.com
Original ChopShop
Who doesn’t love a chopped salad? This fast-and-fresh chain showcases eight carefully crafted chopped salads, including the hearty Scottsdale Cobb. A heft mix of house greens, marinated tomatoes, fresh avocado, crispy bacon, white cheddar, hard-boiled egg, croutons, and cilantro lime ranch dressing form the foundation for optional chicken, steak, tofu, turkey, ham, and other proteins. Multiple locations, originalchopshop.com
Salata
Salad bars have mostly gone the way of the dinosaur, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. People can behave quite poorly when able to serve their own food in a buffet-style setting. Salata solves that problem by letting you thoroughly customize your salad with dozens of ingredients, while the salad maestro behind the counter does all the mixing, and keeps things nice and clean. Six salad bases, more than 50 toppings, and 11 different dressings mean you could visit every day and never eat the same combination twice. Multiple locations, salata.com
Rodeo Goat
Burgers, burgers, more burgers, and…salad? Even if it’s the last thing you think about getting at Rodeo Goat, consider this salad one that might forever change your order. The Cowboy Club features cooked-to-order marinated steak atop mixed greens, crispy applewood-smoked bacon, crumbled hard-boiled egg, Roma tomato chunks, chive-spiked goat cheese, and fried jalapeños that take the place of the most decadent croutons ever. With so much flavor, you might not even need the avocado ranch on the side. Multiple locations, rodeogoat.com
Open Sesame
Mediterranean salads practically have a neon sign above them that blinks, “HEALTHY!” with an arrow pointing downward toward the plate. This casual, full-service Lebanese eatery puts out a terrific fatoush, a generous melange of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, and fresh mint, all tossed in a light dressing made from garlic, lemon, olive oil, and pomegranate molasses. Fried pita chips provide crunch in place of croutons, and you can make it a meal by adding protein in the form of shawarma or falafel. 2615 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, opensesametx.com
Mercat Bistro
Sitting at a sidewalk café in Paris with a salad and a glass of wine feels like the highlight of an already perfect vacation. You can enjoy the next-best thing, however, at this Harwood District French bistro. For the ultimate tribute to the City of Lights, check out the French Country Salad with arugula, frisée, roasted beets, asparagus, pecans, chèvre, honey vinaigrette, and brioche croutons. Salmon makes an excellent addition. 2501 N. Harwood St., Suite 225, Dallas, mercatbistro.com
E-Bar Tex-Mex
Darn if a good taco salad now and again isn’t exactly what el médico ordered. E-Bar’s doesn’t stray from the classic. A fried flour tortilla bowl gets stuffed with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and your choice of ground beef, shredded chicken, or chicken or beef fajitas. On the side, add guacamole, sour cream, and salsa to the top or one bite at a time. 1901 N. Haskell Ave., Dallas, ebartexmex.com
Dee’s Table
You may know Dee Lincoln’s for its famous steaks, but the next time you’re in Frisco, stop by this casual offshoot and give the salad section a proper look. That’s where you’ll find a tenderloin salad, sticking true to her steakhouse roots, but pass that up instead for the Big Easy Salad. Chilled shrimp, spring greens, watermelon radishes, tomatoes, crispy okra, avocado, roasted corn, and a house vinaigrette bring a little bit of New Orleans to the table in one gorgeous bowl. 3685 The Star Blvd., Ste. 205, Frisco, deestable.net
Little Ruby’s Dallas
Head to the first-ever Little Ruby’s outside of New York City for a little taste of Australian restaurant culture. The menu focuses heavily on farm-fresh flavors, and the salads exemplify that philosophy. Try the crispy rice salad with puffed wild rice, arugula, pickled red onion, cucumbers, parsley, tomatoes, scallions, chives, watermelon radishes, griddled haloumi cheese, a sunny-side egg, and ginger-lemon dressing. If brunch calls, this is how you answer. 2305 Cedar Springs Rd., Ste. 150, Dallas, rubyscafe.com
Hudson House
As loudly as the little devil on your shoulder screams for the Hudson Salad with fried chicken, bacon, and cheese, give the little angel a chance to speak. The far-healthier, equally delicious seated tuna and ginger salad features a generous portion of pan-seared #1 Ahi tuna, radish, mango, tomato, avocado, fresh herbs, and a ginger vinaigrette with a little kick. Multiple locations, hudsonhouse.com
Zoli’s
A few pizza ingredients, a handful of salad toppings, and voila! You’ve got the basic recipe for Zoli’s antipasto salad. Iceberg lettuce, pepperoni, provolone, olives, pepperoncini, red onion, sweety drop peppers, roasted tomatoes, toasted breadcrumbs, and a creamy red wine vinaigrette take all your favorite antipasto platter staples and put them on a plate to stab at with your fork. 14910 Midway Rd., Addison, zolispizza.com
Al Biernat’s
Both locations of this white-tablecloth steakhouse feature extensive menus, truly offering something for every palate and dietary preference. So, it should be expected that salads will be thoughtfully composed and as elegant as everything else. Try the signature Al’s Salad, a vibrant symphony of textures including field greens, lamb crab, shrimp, green beans, and vine-ripened tomatoes. Choose from Russian or garlic dressing (or get both on the side to compare). Multiple locations, albiernats.com
Catch Dallas
Wedge salads always deliver a certain wow factor when they hit the table, but cutting into that giant slab of iceberg lettuce and assembling your own little-bit-of-everything bites can be a lot of work—at least compared to other salads. At Catch, you get slightly tweaked flavors of the traditional in the Chopped “Wedge” Salad, except it’s all tossed together for easy-to-manage mouthfuls. Maple-glazed bacon, bleu cheese, crispy shallots, and a creamy sesame dressing make it a great accompaniment to a larger entree, such as the miso-glazed sea bass.3005 Maple Ave., Dallas, catchrestaurants.com
Monarch
The views from the 50th floor of the National in downtown Dallas set the scene for dreamily romantic dinners and sure-to-impress business meetings alike. One dish that rivals the skyline backdrop is the heirloom panzanella salad, a veritable rainbow on a plate. Local marinated vegetables, fregula (a tiny pea-sized pasta), lemon-whipped feta, and croutons make for an excellent first or second course. 1401 Elm St., Dallas, monarchrestaurants.com
Eatzi’s
Build your own salad online, through the app, or in person at Eatzi’s. Choose up to two types of greens and up to 28 (yes, 28!) toppings with your choice of dressing for under $10, making this a real salad bargain. Add on animal-based protein for as little as $4 more. Multiple locations, eatzis.com
